KR20010093056A - Lithographic apparatus, device manufacturing method, and device manufactured thereby - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A lithographic apparatus comprising a mask table is provided to be used to accurately hold a mask to achieve correct positioning and improved flatness. CONSTITUTION: A radiation system provides a projection beam of radiation. A mask table holds a mask on a mask bearing surface. The mask serves to pattern the projection beam according to a desired pattern. A substrate table holds a substrate and a projection system projects the patterned beam onto a target portion of the substrate. The mask table comprises a compliant membrane comprising the mask bearing surface and at least one actuator operable to apply a force to the membrane so as to deform the membrane in a direction substantially perpendicular to the mask bearing surface.

Description

A transfer apparatus, a device manufacturing method, and a device manufactured by the manufacturing method {LITHOGRAPHIC APPARATUS, DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD, AND DEVICE MANUFACTURED THEREBY}

The present invention,

A radiation system for supplying a radiation projection beam;

A mask table for fixing a mask for patterning a projection beam according to a predetermined pattern on the mask support surface;

A substrate table for fixing a substrate; And

A projection projecting device comprising a projection system for projecting a patterned beam onto a target area of a substrate.

For example, a transfer projection device can be used for the manufacture of integrated circuits (ICs). In this case, the patterning means is formed with a circuit pattern corresponding to an individual layer of the integrated circuit, which pattern consists of one or more dies on a target area (silicon wafer) which is subsequently coated with a layer of radiation sensing material (resist). Will be missing). In general, an entire network of adjacent target areas is formed on one wafer, and these target areas are continuously irradiated one at a time through the projection system. Currently available devices for patterning with a mask on a mask table can be distinguished in two forms. In one type of transfer projection apparatus, each target region is irradiated by exposing the entire mask pattern to the target region at one time. Such an apparatus is commonly referred to as a wafer stepper. Alternatively, alternative devices, commonly referred to as step-and-scan apparatuses, progressively scan the mask pattern in a predetermined reference direction ("scanning" direction) under the projection beam, while simultaneously scanning the mask pattern. Each target area is irradiated by scanning the substrate table in the same direction or in the opposite direction. In general, the projection system has a magnification factor M (usually <1), so that the speed V at which the substrate table is scanned is M times the speed at which the mask table is scanned. More detailed information relating to the transfer device described herein can be found in US Pat. No. 6,046,792.

In a manufacturing process using a transfer projection apparatus, a pattern (eg, a pattern of a mask) is imaged on a substrate partially coated with a layer of radiation sensing material (resist). Prior to this imaging step, the substrate is subjected to various procedures such as priming, resist application and soft bake. After exposure, it will undergo another procedure such as post exposure bake (PEB), development, hard bake and measurement / inspection of the imaged shape. This series of procedures is used, for example, as the basis for patterning individual layers of IC devices. This patterned layer is subjected to all the various processes for finishing individual layers such as etching, ion implantation (doping), metallization, oxidation, chemical-mechanical polishing, and the like. If several layers are required, the whole process or a variant thereof will be repeated for each new layer. In the end, an array of devices will be present on the substrate (wafer). These devices can be separated from each other by techniques such as dicing or sawing, and then each device can be mounted on a conveying device and connected to a pin. Further information on such a process can be obtained, for example, from "Microchip Fabrication: A Practical Guide to Semiconductor Processing (3rd edition, Peter van Zant, McGrawhill Publishers, 1997, ISBN 0-07-067250-4)". Can be.

For simplicity of explanation, the projection system will hereinafter be referred to as the "lens". However, the term should be broadly interpreted as encompassing various types of projection systems, including refractive optics, reflective optics, catadioptric systems, and charged particle optics, for example. The radiation system may also include components that operate in accordance with one of the principles of aiming, shaping or controlling the projection beam of radiation, and in the following descriptions, collectively or individually "lenses" for such components. Will be mentioned. Furthermore, the transfer device may be of a type having two or more substrate tables (and / or two or more mask tables). In such " multi-stage " devices, one or more tables will perform the same step or preliminary steps using additional tables while one or more tables are being used for exposure. For example, US 5,969,441 and WO 98/40791 disclose a dual stage transfer device.

The concept of masks is already well known in the lithography field, including masks of binary, alternating phase-shift, and attenuated phase-shift masks, as well as various hybrid mask types. Placement of such a mask within the projection beam area results in selective transmission (in the case of a transmissive mask) or reflection (in the case of a reflective mask) of radiation incident on the mask in accordance with the pattern of the mask. The mask table ensures that the mask can be fixed at a predetermined position within the incident projection beam area and, if necessary, can be moved relative to the beam.

Conventionally, the mask table has been positioned so that radiation reaches the substrate from the light transmission system via a mask, a projection system. Such masks are known as transmissive masks because they allow the radiation from the transmissive system to selectively transmit to form a pattern on the substrate. Such a mask must be supported to allow light to pass through it. This has conventionally been achieved using a vacuum of the table just below the peripheral area of the mask such that the mask is fixed to the table at atmospheric pressure.

The size of the shape that can be imaged on the wafer in the transfer device is limited by the wavelength of the projection radiation. In order to produce more compact devices and therefore integrated circuits with faster operating speeds, smaller shapes must be able to be imaged. Recent transfer projection devices have been proposed to use ultraviolet rays or excimer lasers generated by mercury lamps, while using radiation of even shorter wavelengths on the order of 13 nm. Such radiation is called extreme ultraviolet (EUV) or soft X-ray, and possible radiation sources include laser-generated plasma radiation sources, discharge sources or synchrotron radiation sources.

If EUV radiation is used, the projection system will be non-telecentric on the object side. Thus, variations in the height of the mask cause variations in the horizontal and vertical positions of the image on the substrate. In addition, it is necessary to use a vacuum in the light propagation path in order to avoid absorption of light. Thus, existing vacuum clamping will not be effective.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a transfer apparatus comprising a mask table that can be used to accurately fix a mask to obtain accurate positioning and improved flatness.

1 is a view showing a transfer projection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a schematic representation of two possible radiation beam paths illustrating the effect of varying mask height.

3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a mask table according to the present invention.

The above and other objects according to the present invention,

A radiation system for supplying a radiation projection beam;

A mask table for fixing a mask for patterning a projection beam according to a predetermined pattern on the mask support surface;

A substrate table for fixing a substrate; And

A transfer projection apparatus comprising a projection system for projecting a patterned beam onto a target area of a substrate,

The mask table,

A compliant film comprising a mask support surface; And

And at least one actuator capable of exerting a force on the film to deform the film in a direction substantially perpendicular to the mask support surface.

Thus, the variation in the surface of the reflective mask can be corrected easily and accurately.

Preferably, the actuator is operable at the back side of the membrane, opposite the mask support surface, and many of these actuators can be used to increase the precision with which the membrane can be deformed. Furthermore, the spring is used between the actuator and the membrane so that the force applied can be precisely controlled.

Mask level sensors can be advantageously used to scan the mask surface at a plurality of points to construct a three-dimensional map of the mask surface. In addition, a controller can be used to command the actuator to provide force to the membrane, thereby reducing any irregularities on the mask surface.

The present invention also provides the transfer projection apparatus described above, further comprising means for attaching a mask to the compliant film using electrostatic force.

According to another form of the invention,

Providing a substrate at least partially applied by a layer of radiation sensing material;

Providing a projection beam of radiation using a radiation system;

Providing a cross-sectional pattern to the projection beam using a mask; And

10. A device manufacturing method comprising projecting the patterned radiation beam onto a target region of a layer of radiation sensing material, wherein:

A device manufacturing method is provided, which further comprises the step of modifying a compliant film comprising a mask support surface on which the mask is supported to control the shape of the mask in a direction substantially perpendicular to the mask support surface.

In the use of the device according to the invention, only the manufacture of the IC is referred to herein, but it will be clearly understood that this device has several other applications. For example, the apparatus can also be used in the manufacture of integrated optical systems, induction and detection patterns for magnetic region memories, liquid crystal display panels, thin film magnetic heads, and the like. Those skilled in the art, given the above-mentioned other applications, the terms "reticle", "wafer" or "die" as used herein are more general terms such as "mask", "substrate" and "target area". It will be understood that each can be replaced with.

As used herein, the terms "radiation" and "beam" are used to encompass all forms of electromagnetic radiation and include ultraviolet (UV) radiation (eg, 365 nm, 248 nm, 193 nm, 157 nm or 126 nm). ), Extreme ultraviolet (EUV or XUV) radiation (eg, having a wavelength in the range of 5-20 nm), as well as particle beams such as ion beams or electron beams.

1 is a schematic diagram of a transfer projection apparatus according to the present invention. The device,

Radiation systems LA and IL for supplying a projection beam PB of EUV radiation;

A first object table (mask table) MT which fixes the mask MA (e.g., a reticle) and is connected to the first positioning means PM for accurately positioning the mask with respect to the item PL;

A second objective table (substrate table) WT, which is fixed to the substrate W (for example, a resist coated silicon wafer) and connected to the second positioning means PW for accurately positioning the substrate with respect to the item PL. ); And

And a projection system (" lens ") PL for imaging the irradiated portion of the mask MA on the target area C (die) of the substrate W. The projection system is hereafter in a reflective form.

The radiation source LA (eg, a laser-generated plasma source, a discharge source or an undulator or wiggle provided around the path of the electron beam in the storage ring or synchrotron) produces a radiation beam. This beam is fed to a lightcasting system (lightcaster) IL either directly or after passing through conditioning means such as a beam extender. Transmitter IL may comprise adjusting means for setting the outer and / or inner radial range of the beam's intensity distribution (typically denoted as sigma-outer and sigma-inner, respectively). In addition, it will generally include various components such as an integrator and a light collector. In this case, the beam PB projected on the mask MA has a predetermined uniformity and intensity distribution in its cross section.

Although the radiation source LA may be in the housing of the transfer projection apparatus, it may be remote from the transfer projection apparatus to cause the radiation beam it produces to be directed to the apparatus (eg with the aid of a suitable directional mirror). See for details. The present invention and claims encompass both of these scenarios.

The beam PB passes through the mask MA, which is fixed to the mask table MT. After being selectively reflected by the mask MA, the beam PB passes through the lens PL that focuses the beam PB on the target region C of the substrate W. With the aid of the second positioning means (and the interferometer displacement measuring means IF), the substrate table WT can be accurately moved, for example, to position different target areas C in the path of the beam PB. . Similarly, after mechanically withdrawing the mask MA from the mask library or during scanning, the first positioning means can be used to accurately position the mask MA with respect to the path of the beam PB. have. In general, the movement of the objective tables MT, WT may be done by a long stroke module (coarse positioning) and a short stroke module (fine positioning), although not clearly shown in FIG.

The apparatus described above can be used in two different modes:

1. In the step mode, the mask table MT is basically kept fixed, and the entire mask image is projected onto the target area C at once (ie, a single "flash"). Subsequently, the substrate table WT may be shifted in the x and / or y directions so that another target region C may be radiated by the beam PB.

2. In the scan mode, basically the same scenario as above applies, except that the predetermined target area C is not exposed in a single "flash". Instead, the mask table MT is movable in a predetermined direction (so-called " scan direction ", for example, y direction) at a speed of v so that the projection beam PB scans on the mask image. Similarly, the substrate table WT simultaneously moves in the same direction or the opposite direction at a speed V = Mv (where M is the magnification of the lens PL (usually M = 1/4 or M = 1/5). In this way, a relatively wide target area C can be exposed regardless of the resolution.

The present invention reduces, among other things, the problem that variations in the height of the mask cause variations in the horizontal position of the final image on the substrate, which will cause overlapping errors for the previous and / or subsequent layers of the device made. .

2 illustrates this phenomenon. The projection beams PB1 and PB2 are projected onto the mask at a fixed angle (6 ° to the normal of the surface in the illustrated embodiment). However, the variation in the height of the mask means that the resulting reflected beam will enter the entrance pupil of the projection system at different points. The reflected beam 1 shown in FIG. 2 occurs when the beam PB1 is reflected from the mask in the first vertical position. If the height position of the mask is changed (in other words, Δ1 = 500 nm as shown in Fig. 2), the beam PB2 will be irradiated at the same position on the mask, so that the reflection beam 2 will be generated. The variation in the mask height is such that the image of the mask point where the projection beams PB1 and PB2 are reflected moves horizontally (by Δ2 = 500 x tan (6 °) = 50 nm in FIG. 2) in the entrance pupil of the projection system. I mean. This horizontal movement is proportional in the projection system by an amount corresponding to the magnification factor of the projection system. Therefore, in the example of FIG. 2, since the magnification factor is 0.25, the horizontal movement on the wafer is represented by Δ3 = 50 × 0.25 = 13 nm. It can be appreciated that controlling the height of the mask is very important if many layers have to be provided on the wafer with overlapping errors of 3 nm or less, for example.

The mask table is shown in more detail in FIG. 3. As shown, the table itself consists of a box-shaped enclosure 100 whose cross section has a U-shaped structure. The flexible film 110 is disposed over the opening of the mask table, and the mask MA is attached to the outer surface (mask support surface) of the film. Since no vacuum force can be used, the mask is attached to the film using electrostatic force. In other words, the mask and the film are charged in opposite polarities to generate mutual attraction. The back side of the membrane is attached to a system of actuators 140 and spring 130 that is attached to the bottom of the boxed enclosure 100. The membrane may be deformed due to the force that may be exerted by the actuator 140. The actuator may be a linear actuator such as a piston or a linear motor. Also suitable is a piezoelectric actuator. Manual force actuators, such as adjustable springs, adjustable pneumatic cylinders or adjustable balances, can be used to apply a force to a portion of the membrane without dissipating heat. Thus, such a manual force actuator may be advantageous for use in the mask holder of the present invention. The actuator can be controlled by a controller (not shown) to apply precise force to the membrane, ensuring that the mask is in the correct vertical position and has good flatness.

Such membrane and spring shapes have the advantage that backside contamination of the mask by any particles is compensated for by the flexibility of the membrane and can provide a relatively easy correction for this configuration. In FIG. 3 an actuator and a spring of four modifications were used, but this is not limiting. More or less than this may be used, but in general, using a large number of actuators is advantageous because it can modify the membrane more precisely.

Although the mask is manufactured to a high degree of flatness, deviations from the complete flatness of the mask surface of a size sufficient to significantly affect the positioning accuracy (called "non-flatness") can occur. Unevenness can be caused, for example, by variations in mask thickness, distortion in mask shape, or contaminants on the mask holder. Unless otherwise required herein, the following "mask surface" refers to the upper surface of the mask to which the radiation is projected.

3 does not show a mask level sensor for measuring a detailed mask level. This level sensor may for example be an optical sensor called the focus error detection system disclosed in US Pat. No. 5,191,200 or an optical sensor disclosed in EP 1 037 117 (P-0128). The level sensor can measure the vertical position at the same time in a plurality of lateral positions, and can measure the average height of each small area, thereby averaging the non-flatness of the high spatial frequency.

The optical level sensor can scan the height of a two-dimensional region by moving a light beam or group of such beams across the region. The light beam is reflected and the reflected beam is measured to determine the height of the surface on which the reflection occurred. Although only a small area of the surface is mapped at a time, since the reflection point also moves as the incident light beam moves, the entire surface can be mapped in the scanning process.

Information obtained from the mask level sensor is used by the controller to determine how to instruct the actuator. For example, if the mask level sensor indicates that a portion of the mask is very high, the controller instructs the actuator to move the portion of the mask to lower to increase flatness and improve the average height of the mask. The mask level sensor is a sensor that can measure at multiple points on the mask, so that the controller can force the actuator to force the mask to be in the correct vertical position as well as to have increased flatness. In addition, the actuator can correct the tilt of the mask, which is important for many applications.

One method according to the invention is as follows. First, a mask level sensor is used to map the outer surface of the mask so that any irregularities or errors in height can be identified. The controller then calculates which force is to be applied by each actuator and controls the actuator accordingly. The actuator may detect that the sensor is provided with itself and operated as directed. In this case, the controller examines the sensor on the actuator to determine if the actuator has been moved by the correct amount. Alternatively, a secondary scan of the mask surface may be performed to detect whether the adjustment was sufficient to eliminate irregularities and errors in flatness, inclination and height. This process can be continued so that the controller continues to check the surface of the mask with the mask sensor and continuously updates the actuators so that any external variations (eg variations due to temperature changes) are continuously monitored and corrected. . Alternatively, this process may be performed only once before exposure of the wafer.

The present invention described above describes a situation in which the mask is fixed in the transfer projection apparatus before, during and after the transfer exposure operation. However, the present invention is generally applicable in any situation where mask fixing is required. For example, the mask table (or holder) of the present invention is advantageous because it can be used in an apparatus for making a mask (e-beam writer) because the mask is completely flat during the production of the mask. . Moreover, it is also advantageous to use the mask table of this invention for the mask (reticle) inspection apparatus used for inspecting a dust, damage, an error, etc. of a mask.

While specific embodiments of the invention have been described above, it will be appreciated that the invention may be practiced otherwise than as described. The contents described herein are not intended to limit the present invention.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a transfer device including a mask table that can be used to accurately fix a mask, thereby obtaining accurate positioning and improved flatness.

Claims (16)

A radiation system providing a radiation projection beam; A mask table for fixing a mask for patterning a projection beam according to a predetermined pattern on the mask support surface; A substrate table for fixing a substrate; And A transfer projection apparatus comprising a projection system for projecting a patterned beam onto a target area of a substrate, The mask table, A compliant film comprising a mask support surface; And And at least one actuator operable to exert a force on the film to deform the film in a direction substantially perpendicular to the mask support surface. The method of claim 1, And said actuator is operable on the back side of said membrane, said back side opposing the mask support surface. The method according to claim 1 or 2, And said mask table comprises a plurality of actuators respectively connected to different portions on said film. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, And the mask table further comprises a spring coupled to the actuator to operate in series with the actuator of the membrane. The method of claim 4, wherein And the spring is disposed between the actuator and the membrane. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, And a mask level sensor for measuring the position of the surface of the mask fixed on the mask table in a direction substantially perpendicular to the mask support surface. The method of claim 6, And the mask level sensor is configured and arranged to measure the position at a plurality of different points on a mask surface. The method according to claim 6 or 7, And a controller coupled to the at least one actuator and the mask level sensor to control the at least one actuator to maintain the mask at a predetermined level. The method according to claim 6 or 7, And a controller operatively coupled to one or more actuators and a mask level sensor to control the one or more actuators to increase or preserve the flatness of the mask surface. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, And means for attaching said mask to said compliant film using electrostatic force. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, And the mask is a reflective mask. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, And said radiation system is constructed and arranged to supply a radiation projection beam having a wavelength of 50 nm or less, in particular 5-20 nm. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, And said radiation system comprises a radiation source. In the mask table for fixing the mask on the mask support surface, The mask table, A compliant film including the mask support surface; And And at least one actuator operable to apply force to the film to deform the film in a direction substantially perpendicular to the mask support surface. Providing a substrate at least partially applied by a layer of radiation sensing material; Providing a projection beam of radiation using a radiation system; Providing a cross-sectional pattern to the projection beam using a mask; And 10. A device manufacturing method comprising projecting the patterned radiation beam onto a target region of a layer of radiation sensing material, wherein: And deforming a compliant film comprising a mask support surface on which the mask is supported, in a direction substantially perpendicular to the mask support surface to control the shape of the mask. A device manufactured according to the method of claim 15.